Dodgers Postgame: Dave Roberts discusses Landon Knack’s start, impressive rookie pitching and more

I know talk about with cleared the week last week but how do you see just kind of be more steady Force the bottom of the lineup just kind of what he's able to do ear in this G um I think confidence is everything uh you can just see it in his at bats uh today got behind was a 2 two sweeper that he stayed on and and got a big hit for us and later in the game hits a hit a fast ball and and pulls it for a base hit it just looks like he's more confident up there the defense has been consistent and today you know we hit him in the five five hole today and uh certainly unfazed um so it's it's been really good and you know when other guys have kind of trying to find their way it's been nice where the guys have stepped up and you know the last few weeks Gavin's been that guy and he was someone tonight kind of it felt like it was uphill time for him but he still found ways to be affected like what were you seeing from him and how he managed just that I I I think that's exactly exactly what it was I I think that there was certainly some good swing in this the fast ball I thought played really well tonight but the off speed um was was okay um but it was certainly effective um his his pitch mix and his stuff um worked worked a lot of count from behind which makes it a little bit tough to be efficient um but you know when we needed an out he got an out for us and he got us through five innings like he seems to do every time he takes a baseball so you know what you got in Landon he's going to compete and I like the way he threw in uh to those right-and hitters U which open some things up on the outside part of the play but you know like he's done he just gives a chance to win with all your young pitchers right now like how important have they just been especially last couple weeks here helping round out the rotation it's been great it really has cuz I think with with young pitches the the hard part is the uh the unknown the volatility and you know you could run a guy out there and you can't throw strikes and can't get through the second inning and then that that kind of lingers for the next handful of days but the young guys that we've had this year they've gone out competed thrown strikes and gave us valuable Innings so um hasn't blown up our Bullpen and that's allowed us to somewhat sustain um some workload and manage that are you staring to see more of the POS Trend a lot of the guys in botom F Gavin Taylor guys that absolutely you know I I think that you know Kik a few nights ago obviously had a big day um I think CT over the last month over the last month has been really consistent as far as his that back quality um getting J ha back has been really good he he's an on-based guy and um you know the guy that's really scuffling right now is Andy but he he's playing very good defense out there and you know this is good for him you know the struggles and still be in the lineup and and still try to fight through it um but Tao is obviously in the middle part of the order has been big for us but like you like we said earlier Gavin I think has been a big part of that bottom part of the order was and right on the the one he took yeah I think it clipped the the arm guard which was fortunate but he got him pretty good why is such a a night day difference before and after the allstar that's a good question I I think for us I think we just ran out of gas um but even in that you know we had that last game you know there was a chance we should have still won the series but I think we just ran out of gas at against the Tigers over there and and phly we just didn't play I thought we were just outplayed there how much is the starting pitching been a part of this surge it's been a huge part and I think if you look at the stret is when we win baseball games we're getting quality starts and maybe not kind of by the letter of the law quality start but we're getting good starts and um when when we don't we go through those kind of ruts we're just not getting quality starting pitching and it it's you know it's hard for an offense but then when you kind of can keep your offense in a game then you know we sort of tack on late we have a kind of a propensity to do that Dave had three RBI nights and then three stke out night what do you how do you look at I I thought good I I thought good I I thought uh you know the three strikeouts I thought they made good pitch with the fast ball um and I I thought he still took good at bats he was still swinging at balls in the strike zone and you know even in that last at bat they were trying to be careful with him um and he stayed in there and stayed disciplined in the strike zone and you know that Rodriguez made a mistake out of the plate and he's he squared it up so um still had a really good night and I think for me is as long as shohi stays disciplined in his Strike Zone like I've said all year long um he's he's just a special special player thanks guys